Minister for Further and Higher Education Opens Further Education and Training Centre in Letterkenny

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, T.D., officially opened Donegal Education and Training Board’s Further Education and Training (FET) Centre on the Port Road in Letterkenny today.

The building underwent extensive refurbishment in 2022 to create a low carbon emissions state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility in the heart of Donegal’s largest town. It now consists of nine rooms across two floors, including two IT suites and a science laboratory, with a capacity for 135 students.

All rooms are designed to be multi-functional and cater to various subject and learning disciplines. Its range of full-time and part-time courses include Digital Office Skills, Early Learning and Care, English language classes, and year one of tertiary degrees. All courses are accredited on the National Qualifications Framework from Levels 1-6.

The centre is also home to one of six Digital Hubs provided by Donegal Education and Training Board (ETB) in the county which provide technology-enhanced learning support to staff and students.

Speaking at the opening, Donegal ETB Chief Executive Anne McHugh said, “We are very proud of our new centre in the heart of Letterkenny. It is the result of a great deal of dedication and commitment to our students who deserve to learn in the highest quality surroundings that we can provide. That dedication comes from our Minister, is enabled by our funders SOLAS, but most of all from our FET staff on the ground who were so well assisted by our administrative and support teams every step of the way.”

Donegal ETB Director of Further Education and Training, Ciaran O’Brien said, “Donegal ETB is delighted to welcome Minister Harris to Letterkenny to officially open the Centre on the Port Road. The Centre’s idyllic location, state-of-the-art facilities and exceptional staff are all key enablers in the delivery of a wide range of FET provision in Letterkenny. The Centre really is a perfect example of the Minister’s vision for the future of FET in Ireland as presented in the National Further Education and Training Strategy, Future FET: Transforming Learning.”

Earlier Minister Harris announced capital investment funding at the Stranorlar Further Education and Training Centre to provide additional accommodation to enable the consolidation of the provision of services for Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses.

Speaking about the announcement, Minister Harris said: “Better facilities make for better learning and today’s announcement is an investment in the learner. I am so pleased to announce that your proposal has been successful under the Strategic Infrastructure Upgrade Fund programme call for the addition of facilities to your Further Education and Training Centre here in Stranorlar.

“This will allow the FET Centre to extend their offering to students, facilitate the building of ICT capacity amongst your learners as well as enhance the learner experience for students and staff at the Stranorlar Further Education and Training Centre.”

The Letterkenny (Port Road) and Stranorlar FET Centres are two of nineteen dedicated FET Centres run by Donegal ETB around the county.